apex-spec-workflow

name	Apex Spec Workflow
description	This skill should be used when the user asks about "spec system", "session workflow", "createprd", "plansession", "implement session", "validate session", "phase build", "session scope", "task checklist", or when working in a project containing .spec_system/ directory. Provides guidance for specification-driven AI development workflows.
version	1.0.2-beta

Apex Spec Workflow

A specification-driven workflow system for AI-assisted development that breaks large projects into manageable 2-4 hour sessions with 12-25 tasks each.

Core Philosophy

1 session = 1 spec = 2-4 hours (12-25 tasks)

Break large projects into manageable, well-scoped implementation sessions that fit within AI context windows and human attention spans.

A collection of sessions is a phase. A collection of phases is a mature/late technical PRD.

The 12-Command Workflow

The workflow has 3 distinct stages:

Stage 1: INITIALIZATION (One-Time Setup)

/initspec          ->  Set up spec system in project
      |
      v
/createprd         ->  Generate PRD from requirements doc (optional)
  OR                   OR
[User Action]      ->  Manually populate PRD with requirements
      |
      v
/phasebuild        ->  Create first phase structure (session stubs)

Stage 2: SESSIONS WORKFLOW (Repeat Until Phase Complete)

/plansession   ->  Analyze project, create spec + task checklist
      |
      v
/implement     ->  AI-led task-by-task implementation
      |
      v
/validate      ->  Verify session completeness
      |
      v
/updateprd     ->  Sync PRD, mark session complete
      |
      +-------------> Loop back to /plansession
                      until ALL phase sessions complete

Stage 3: PHASE TRANSITION (After All Previous Phase's Sessions Are Complete)

/audit             ->  Local dev tooling (formatter, linter, types, tests, observability, hooks)
      |
      v
/pipeline          ->  CI/CD workflows (quality, build, security, integration, ops)
      |
      v
/infra             ->  Production infrastructure (health, security, backup, deploy)
      |
      v
/carryforward      ->  Capture lessons learned (optional but recommended)
      |
      v
/documents         ->  Audit and update documentation
      |
      v
[User Action]      ->  Manual testing (highly recommended)
      |
      v
/phasebuild        ->  Create next phase structure
      |
      v
                   ->  Return to Stage 2 for new phase

Directory Structure

Projects using this system follow this layout:

project/
|-- .spec_system/               # All spec system files
|   |-- state.json              # Project state tracking
|   |-- CONSIDERATIONS.md       # Institutional memory (lessons learned)
|   |-- SECURITY-COMPLIANCE.md  # Security posture & GDPR compliance
|   |-- CONVENTIONS.md          # Project coding standards and conventions
|   |-- PRD/                    # Product requirements
|   |   |-- PRD.md              # Master PRD
|   |   \-- phase_NN/           # Phase definitions
|   |-- specs/                  # Implementation specs
|   |   \-- phaseNN-sessionNN-name/
|   |       |-- spec.md
|   |       |-- tasks.md
|   |       |-- implementation-notes.md
|   |       |-- security-compliance.md
|   |       \-- validation.md
|   |-- scripts/                # Bash automation (if copied locally)
|   \-- archive/                # Completed work
\-- (project source files)

Session Naming Convention

Format: phaseNN-sessionNN-name

• phaseNN: 2-digit phase number (phase00, phase01)
• sessionNN: 2-digit session number (session01, session02)
• name: lowercase-hyphenated description

Examples:

• phase00-session01-project-setup
• phase01-session03-user-authentication
• phase02-session08b-refinements

Session Scope Rules

Hard Limits (Reject if Exceeded)

Limit	Value
Maximum tasks	25
Maximum duration	4 hours
Objectives	Single clear objective

Ideal Targets

Target	Value
Task count	12-25 (sweet spot: 20)
Duration	2-3 hours
Focus	Stable/late MVP

Task Design

Task Format

- [ ] TNNN [SNNMM] [P] Action verb + what + where (`path/to/file`)

Components:

• TNNN: Sequential task ID (T001, T002, ...)
• [SNNMM]: Session reference (S0103 = Phase 01, Session 03)
• [P]: Optional parallelization marker
• Description: Action verb + clear description
• Path: File being created/modified

Task Categories

1. Setup (2-4 tasks): Environment, directories, config
2. Foundation (4-8 tasks): Core types, interfaces, base classes
3. Implementation (8-15 tasks): Main feature logic
4. Testing (3-5 tasks): Tests, validation, verification

Parallelization

Mark tasks [P] when they:

• Create independent files
• Don't depend on each other's output
• Can be done in any order

Critical Requirements

ASCII Encoding (Non-Negotiable)

All files must use ASCII-only characters (0-127):

• NO Unicode characters
• NO emoji
• NO smart quotes - use straight quotes (" ')
• NO em-dashes - use hyphens (-)
• Unix LF line endings only (no CRLF)

Validate with:

file filename.txt        # Should show: ASCII text
grep -P '[^\x00-\x7F]' filename.txt  # Should return nothing

Over-Arching Rules

• Complete one session at a time before starting next
• Update task checkboxes immediately as work progresses
• Follow workflow sequence - resist scope creep
• Read spec.md and tasks.md before implementing

State Tracking

The .spec_system/state.json file tracks project progress:

{
  "version": "2.0",
  "project_name": "Project Name",
  "current_phase": 0,
  "current_session": null,
  "phases": {
    "0": {
      "name": "Foundation",
      "status": "in_progress",
      "session_count": 5
    }
  },
  "completed_sessions": [],
  "next_session_history": []
}

Command Quick Reference

Command	Purpose	Input	Output
/initspec	Initialize spec system	Project info	.spec_system/ structure
/createprd	Generate master PRD	Requirements doc or user text	PRD/PRD.md
/plansession	Analyze, spec, and task list	state.json, PRD	specs/.../spec.md + tasks.md
/implement	Code implementation	spec.md, tasks.md	implementation-notes.md
/validate	Verify completeness	All session files	security-compliance.md, validation.md
/updateprd	Mark complete	validation.md	Updated state.json
/audit	Local dev tooling	CONVENTIONS.md	Updated tools, report
/pipeline	CI/CD workflows	CONVENTIONS.md	Workflow files, report
/infra	Production infra	CONVENTIONS.md	Configs, report
/documents	Audit/update docs	state.json, PRD, codebase	Updated docs, docs-audit.md
/carryforward	Capture lessons & security posture	Completed phase artifacts	CONSIDERATIONS.md, SECURITY-COMPLIANCE.md
/phasebuild	Create new phase	PRD	PRD/phase_NN/

Additional Resources

Reference Files

For detailed guidance, consult:

• references/workflow.md - Detailed command workflows and decision points

Scripts Directory

Utility scripts are available at two locations:

• Plugin: ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/scripts/ (default, always up-to-date)
• Local: .spec_system/scripts/ (optional, for per-project customization)

Local scripts take precedence - if .spec_system/scripts/ exists, commands use local scripts instead of plugin scripts.

Available scripts:

• analyze-project.sh - Project state analysis (supports --json for structured output)
• check-prereqs.sh - Environment and tool verification (supports --json for structured output)
• common.sh - Shared functions

To copy scripts locally during /initspec, choose "copy locally" when prompted. To revert to plugin scripts, delete .spec_system/scripts/.

Hybrid Architecture

Commands use a hybrid approach for reliability:

1. Deterministic State (analyze-project.sh --json): Authoritative state facts
2. Environment Verification (check-prereqs.sh --json): Tool and prerequisite validation
3. Semantic Analysis (Claude): Interprets PRD content, makes recommendations

Why this matters:

• Script output is deterministic - same input always gives same output
• Eliminates risk of Claude misreading state.json
• Tool verification catches missing dependencies BEFORE implementation starts
• Users can run scripts independently to debug
• Claude focuses on what it does best: understanding context and reasoning

analyze-project.sh JSON Output:

{
  "project": "project-name",
  "current_phase": 1,
  "current_session": "phase01-session02-feature",
  "completed_sessions": ["phase00-session01-setup"],
  "candidate_sessions": [
    {"file": "session_01_auth", "completed": false}
  ]
}

check-prereqs.sh JSON Output:

{
  "overall": "pass",
  "environment": {
    "spec_system": {"status": "pass"},
    "jq": {"status": "pass", "info": "jq-1.7"}
  },
  "tools": {
    "node": {"status": "pass", "info": "v20.10.0"},
    "docker": {"status": "fail", "info": "not installed"}
  },
  "issues": [
         
  

Commands and their script usage:

Command	analyze-project.sh	check-prereqs.sh
/plansession	State + candidates	-
/implement	Current session	Environment + tools
/validate	Current session	-
/documents	State + progress	-

Best Practices

1. Start with /plansession - Always analyze state before choosing work
2. One session at a time - Complete before starting next
3. MVP first - Defer polish and optimizations
4. Validate encoding - Check ASCII before committing
5. Update tasks continuously - Mark checkboxes immediately
6. Trust the system - Follow workflow, resist scope creep
7. Read before implementing - Review spec.md and tasks.md first
8. Keep docs current - Run /documents after completing a phase or adding packages

Troubleshooting

Problem	Solution
Scope too large	Split session in PRD before /plansession
ASCII validation fails	Run grep -P '[^\x00-\x7F]' to find issues
State out of sync	Manually update .spec_system/state.json
Commands not found	Verify plugin is enabled
Tasks taking too long	Reduce scope, defer non-MVP items
Missing tools	Run check-prereqs.sh --tools "tool1,tool2" to verify
Environment issues	Run check-prereqs.sh --env to diagnose
Stale documentation	Run /documents to audit and update
Missing docs	Run /documents to create standard files
Lint/format issues	Run /audit to add tooling and auto-fix
CI failures	Run /pipeline to add workflows and fix errors
Infra not validated	Run /infra to configure health, security, backup, deploy